Fabricated vehicle wheel with wheel disc having lightener pockets

Abstract

A fabricated vehicle wheel comprises a wheel disc and a wheel rim. The wheel disc has an annular hub portion, a center hub hole in the hub portion, opposite inboard and outboard faces of the hub portion, a plurality of circumferentially spaced lug bolt holes in the hub portion, a plurality of lightener pockets in the hub portion, and an extension portion. The lug bolt holes and the lightener pockets alternate around a circumference of the hub portion. An axis extends through the hub hole. The inboard face is planar and configured to mount to a vehicle. The inboard face is perpendicular to the axis and the extension portion extends from the hub portion along the axis. The wheel rim is secured to the extension portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fabricated wheel disc for a vehicle wheel, the fabricated wheel disc comprising:
 an annular hub portion having an outboard face and an inboard face; 
 an extension portion extending from the hub portion; 
 a plurality of lug bolt holes in the hub portion; and 
 a center hub hole in the hub portion; 
 wherein at least one lightener pocket is provided in the hub portion, wherein the at least one lightener pocket extends through the hub portion by having separate openings in each of the outboard face and the inboard face of the hub portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a wheel rim secured to the extension portion. 
 
     
     
       3. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lightener pocket is interspaced with the lug bolt holes. 
     
     
       4. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 3  wherein the at least one lightener pocket is one of a plurality of lightener pockets and the lightener pockets and the lug bolt holes alternate around a circumference of the hub portion. 
     
     
       5. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 4  wherein some of the plurality of lightener pockets have a first shape and others have a second shape different from the first shape. 
     
     
       6. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lightener pocket has a rectilinear, circular, oval, elliptical, or variable radius shape. 
     
     
       7. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lightener pocket is between zero and fifty percent of a surface area of either the outboard face or the inboard face. 
     
     
       8. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lightener pocket is formed by removing material from the hub portion. 
     
     
       9. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 8  wherein the material is removed from the hub portion by machining, milling, piercing, laser cutting, or water cutting. 
     
     
       10. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 2  wherein the wheel rim and wheel disc are formed from similar or dissimilar materials. 
     
     
       11. The fabricated wheel disc of  claim 1  wherein the vehicle wheel is a steel commercial vehicle wheel.